How to find a good criminal lawyer in Melbourne

Facing police scrutiny is always a stressful experience, especially for those who have never been charged before. Those who do face police prosecution should definitely be seeking the help of an experienced criminal lawyer in Melbourne to help advocate for them in court.

But find a good criminal lawyer in Melbourne isn’t as easy as it might initially sound. While the city is not without its fair share of defence solicitors it can be hard to choose between them, especially for people with little to no knowledge on the legal process.

Police prosecution is a serious matter that can have far reaching implications for your life, beyond even the sentence itself. A record of law breaking behaviour can seriously impact your future employability not to mention your personal freedom and liberty.

Therefore it’s essential to solicit a professional criminal lawyer in Melbourne to assist you in defending against police prosecution. Let’s take a look at how to find the ideal criminal lawyer in Melbourne.

Make a shortlist of criminal lawyers in Melbourne

The first logical step in finding a good criminal lawyer in the Melbourne CBDis to narrow down your potential choices in a shortlist of candidates. Ideally, you should have looked at and compared all of the city’s top defence solicitors and made a manageable list to work through.

This list will let you easily compare each choice and keep track of where you are in the process of finding the best fit for you. It’s a good idea to make notes next to each listing on some unique features or benefits of that particular choice.

For example, you could note that one of these criminal lawyers in Melbourne is more available over the phone than some others. You might take note of any offers of obligation free quotes regarding your case.

Conduct research and questioning

Take advantage of special offers and free consultations; gather as much information as you reasonably can before going further. If several different solicitors are telling you the same thing, then you can probably assume it to be true.

When you get into an over-the-phone or face-to-face meeting, it’s time to ask some useful questions. These questions will help you assess the suitability of the solicitor for your particular circumstances.

Ask them the following:

How many similar cases have they dealt with before?

Do they have any special areas of expertise or accreditations?

How do they conduct their work? Will you be corresponding with them directly or a legal secretary?

What are their initial impressions of what’s possible for your case?

While there are hundreds of potential variations on these questions, they are the simplest areas you need to address when deciding between criminal lawyers in Melbourne. They give you enough information that you can gauge how much expertise the solicitor has with the kind of prosecution you are facing.

Make an informed decision

Ultimately, your choice of a criminal lawyer in Melbourne will come down to your gut instincts about them. Many of the criminal lawyers in Melbourne will have similar skillsets, but their experience and work ethic will be what separates them the most.

Most importantly, you will need to find them to be someone you can trust with sensitive information and someone who you can rely on to advocate on your behalf. Be cautious of a solicitor who promises to get your exactly the result you want as this is usually too good to be true.

A good defence solicitor will be realistic with you about what is achievable given the current evidence or lack thereof.